Priceometer



Aug.'1, 1933- E, s GRIFFlTH 1,920,173

PRICEOMETER Filed April 11, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l [iv/ WWWW 1 u L ll 2 w Li J .1\,\U U\ MJ a ATTOR N EY Aug; 1, 5 s IFFITH PRICEOMETER Filed April 11, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 M V626 Z 7 ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 1, 1 933 g I I 7 t UNITED-STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,920,173 PRICEOMETER 7 Edward Stanley Grifiith, Oneida County, N; Y.

ApplicationApril 11, 1930. Serial N0.443,574

' 2 Claims. (01. 23586.)

This invention appertains to improvements in as will be hereinafter more fully described, set priceometers and the like generally, and has for forth in the appended claims and illustrated in its main object to provide a type of the same for the accompanying drawings, in which: I giving direct readings of the prices of a number Figure 1 is a front elevation of a practical 5 of commodities, such as diiierent feeds and grains embodiment of the invention; 3 9

bought or sold by the hundred weight or ten Figure 2 is a vertical section, taken on the and throughout a wide rangeoi fluctuation in line 2--2 of Figure 1; a the prices of the commodities. Figure 3 is a view'similar to that of Figure 2, i

At the present time, grains and feeds are disbut taken'on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

10' tributed from thousands of mills throughout the Figure 4 is a slightly enlarged front elevation 5 country to other thousands of stores or stations of a part of the apparatus; '1 which, in turn, redistribute the commodities to l Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary perspec far reaching stores and stations for supplying tive view of a portion of the latter part of the the users in local communities. The enormity apparatus and showing the manner of mounting of this great system of distribution brought. about certain of the card holders therein; also the 70 the creation of centralized distributing points manner of positioning a name card and its coinor zones, which, in turn, are divided into other panion rate card in one of the latter; or minor distributing points or zones radiating Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary portion therefrom. In the organization of these major in plan of the computed price tape;

and minor points of distribution, certain per- Figure 7 is a plan view of one of the commodity 75' centages or rates of increase in buying and sellindicating or name cards and Figure 7a is a ing prices of the different commodities are alfragmentary plan view of a companion rate card, lowed in the diiierent minor zones over the basic showing the selling prices tabulated thereon for selling prices established from time to time in the fractional units of weight of the particular commajor or central zones and much labor is inmodity. 1

v v in computing the p i f h f a n m- Referring to the drawings, wherein like charber of different co od ties y hand, in vieW- acters of reference designate corresponding parts of the sometimes rapid fluctuation in prices in in the several views thereof, the embodiment of the basic or. central zones and since such comthe invention, as shown therein by way of examputations must consider questions of basic price, ple only, is constituted generally in a cabinet rate of increase in each minor zone and various formed of two separate sections 10 and 11,-which, commissions allowed in the different minor zones. when installed for use, will preferably be se- It is therefore another object of the invention cured together, in side to side relation, by means to Provide an apparatus 0f the Class t o t ofa pairof coupling members 12. These cou- 35 which will avoid the necessity for the computing pling members 12 are each preferably in the 0f t e buying Selling prices 0f d eS form of an elongated bar extending between fip y for each business tIaIISaCtiOIIOT'YfOI the sections 10 and 11 at one side of the same each fluctuation in such prices or the calculations d ured as for instance, at one end by means 0f the Prices t0- include rate increases and of thumb bolts or the like 13' to the section -4 missions usual in feed and grain buying and sell- 11 d at its other end by having a slot ,14

mg in the difielent localities Zonestherein engaged over a stud 15 carried by the A further Object of e invention 15 to P section 10. This stud 15 has an elongated head an appar of e character menfi911ed, which ,15' which is swivelled on the free end fofth e, 45 be extremely slmple m cifnstlflctlon and stud so as to be turned to a secured position sign, comparatively inexpensive to manufacture crosswise of the member or bar 12 after the 1 Install hlglilylefficlintibut easy m opera" slot has been engaged over the stud below-the tion, and which will give. to industry an accusame V 2 152: g jiggli g figi jjlf f gff jgf Journaled horizontally within the cabinet sec ing from computations hurriedly made by human 10 senes ofrrouers 1 and 19 C agencies. over which an endlesstape 20 1S trained. The 7 With the foregoing and other equally impoiu traction roller 16 for imparting travelling movetant objects and advantages in view, the invenmenll t0 the p being arranged With one end tion resides in the certain new and useful comof its supporting shaft projected outwardly of 55 bination, construction and arrangement of parts, the adjacent side of the cabinet casing to re- 23, on the front edge of each of which a p1u,

ceive a finger piece 16 thereon for its required manipulation.

Mounted Within the open front of the cabinet section 10 is a face plate 21, which is provided with a series of spaced horizontal openings or slots 21' to expose indicia arranged on theop posed side of the tape 2% through the same. This face plate 21 is enclosed by a cover, consisting of a frame 22 having its open center closed by a pane of glass or other transparency 22 so that the major portion of the face plate 21 will be exposed therethrcugh; The face plate 21is to be suitably marked in the space thereon or above the uppermost of the slots 21, with the trade name of the device and between the latter and the said slot with the terms of unit weights, such as T011 and Hundred weight (cwt.) of commodities whose selling price, togetherwith added. rates and commissions are tabulated. on the tape 20 and are to be ascertained at the sight openings 21, the term Ton being preferably arranged toward the left hand end of the said slot and Cwt. toward the right hand end thereof;

' In thecabinet section 11, to be employed in connection with the cabinet section 12 is positioned two horizontally spaced strips or bars rality of card holders 2% dependingly supported, the same being preferably hin ed, as at 25, in place from their upper ends. The bars or strips 23 are of a less width than the depth of the cabinet section in order that the card holders 24 will be suspended immediatelyinward cf the pane of glass or'other transparency 26 closing the open center of the closure frame 26, which is, in turn, hinged, as at'27, to the upper edge of the cabinet section. A reserve supply of the cards to be interchangeably employed in the card holders 2% may be stacked on the bottom wall of the cabinet section 11 and on the upper side of the lower of the bars or strips 23 in rear of transversely extending retaining members or strips 28.

Each of the card holders 24 is made of a verti'cally elongated piece of sheet metal which has its opposite side edges angularly bent to provide outwardly and inturned flange portions 24 to provide opposed channehways within thesame for the reception of the opposite side edges of the card, the lower ends of the channeLWaysbeing closed by an annular flange 24 formed at the lower end of the holder. I v

In the use of the device, a plurality of cards 29 and 30 are to be provided for the holders 24. These cards are to beemployed in pairs and one. of the cards 29, which is much longer than acompanion-card 30 is first inserted downwardly of the upper open ends of the channel- Ways form dby the flanges 24 to seated position therein with its lcwer edge resting on the bottom flange 24. In this position of the card 29; asufiicientspace within the holder will be available at its upper end to receive the com panion card 30 therein which will in turn, rest on the top edge of the card 29. Each of the cards 29, in the present adaptation of the apparatus,

will have tabulated thereon a ready reckoned selling price per unit weight or other measure of a given commodity, the latter being indicated by name or reference character on the companion card 30; together with the .zone designation in which the selling prices hold good at the moment.

of thedevice for use in the ready reckoning of the fluctuations in prices, in- I V dicate the point at which the selling price including the rate of that particular zone in which the device is at the moment located; and the next lower slots"Z, Z and Z in the downward sequence of the same to indicate the added commission charges for instance, $1, $2 and $3.

The tape 20 to be exposed through the slots 21, in the face plate 21- and the transparent cover 22',-wi1l have two columns or tabulations.

thereon, the one to the left hand side thereof, in the present instancebeing the price range of the different feeds and grains per ton or other major unit of measure for the several localities or zones covered by the same and the right-hand side the proportionate prices per hundred weight or other minor or fractional uni of measure. In the present method of distributing andv selling feed or .grain, it is to be noted that dairy feeds particu.

increase or decrease in rates varies-in the in-v creased distance of the minor zone from the central zone or in other words the basic rateis only good for the territory covered by the central zone. Therefore, for the present it will be assumed that inthe minor zone nearest the central zone the basic .ratewill be subject to an increase of say 20 per ton of the commoditiesto be distributed and sold therein, 40 per ton in the second zone and 60 in the third zone, etc. v

In accordance with this method of established rates for the different zones, the left-hand column on the tape 20, under the head Ton ap- "pearing on the face plate 21, will first indicate basic price per ton and that the basic hundred weight price is therefore increased by 3c. The

- next lower figures 954855454880 on the left-hand side and $2.44'on' the right-hand side representing the zone selling prices per ton and hundred weight respectively, taking $1. per tonfor commission into account. lines of figures below takeinto account commission charges of $2. and per ton respectively,

by the inclusion of which commissions give the per hundred weight pricesas $2.49 and-$2.54.

Thus, with these tabulations arranged in column groups, the tape 20 may be movedto bring the proper basic price of a particular commodity 'in a selected zone into registration with the uppermost of the slots 21' in the face plate 21, upon a turning movement of the main roller 16 from thefinger, piece 16' when the said price, with the added rate of increase and allowed coin-.

Similarly, the next two missions, will appear or slots 21.

For each commodity to be handled by the apparatus, an identification or name card 30 will be provided along with a companion hundred weightprice card 29, on which will first appear a computed hundred weight price of a particular commodity, taken from the right-hand side of the tape 20 for the zone in which the apparatus is employed at the moment.

In the operation of the apparatus as thus constructed and arranged, and the operator in a minor zone gets word of a change in rate in the price of a particular commodity over the basic price at the central zone, he will first manipulate the finger piece 16 of the roller 16 to move the tape 20 to a position relatively to the face plate 21, where the basic price per ton of the commodity at the central zone will appear at the left-hand side of the uppermost of the slots 21, or as at X, when he will then read at the slot Y the basic selling price plus the increase for his particular zone and at the slots Z, Z and Z the increased selling price plus the commission allowed. At the same time, he will also observe at the right-hand side of these slots the prices per hundred weight of the commodity. If the commission allowed him is a $1, as in the first minorzone, he will get his final reading per ton and per hundred weight at the third slot from the top of the face plate 21, designated at Z. With the selling price of each commodity known, including the zone rate and commission, the operator will now select the individual rate cards 29 and companion name cards 30, the former each bearing a table of current prices per hundred weight of a particular cormnodity and will arrange the same in the card holders 24, so that, when an order is received for say three hundred weight of the feed E. W., as indicated on a card 30, the exact price of that amount of the commodity will be read directly from the table on the companion card 29.

It is to be noted that the two uppermost of the slotted openings 21 are spaced somewhat closer together than are the lower of these two openings and the remainder thereof below the same, which are equidistantly spaced apart. This arrangement is necessary in order that the related items of indicia on the tape '20 will be exposed in a proper sequence, as hereinbefore stated.

It will be understood that the limit in number at thelower sight openings of commodities to be priced with the apparatus will be governed only by the number of card holders 24 employed in the cabinet section 11, and that from the spirit of the invention or its scope'as claimed.

I claim:

1. In a device of the class described, a movable tape having a column of price tabulations thereon relating to a plurality of commodities, said tabulations including separate items of basic price of a major unit of weight or measure of each commodity, the basic price plus a predetermined rate'of increase over such basic price and the latter plus allowed commissions, means movably 'mounting said tape whereby these related items only may be exposed to view for any one of the several commodities, and a separate column of graduated price tabulations of fractional units of weight of each commodity computed from the other of said price tabulations.

2. In a device'of the class described, a cabinet, an endless tape within said cabinet and having a column of price tabulations thereon relating to a plurality of commodities, said tabulations including separate items of basic price of each commodity, the basic price plus a predetermined increase over such basic price and the latter plus it allowed commissions, a separate column of graduated price tabulations of fractional units of weight of each commodity computed from the other of said price tabulations, and means for moving said tape whereby to expose to view at the front side of said cabinet the related items only of any one of the several commodities, said cabinet having a plurality of unevenly spaced sight openings therein for the exposure of certain related and computed tabulations therethrough upon each movement of said tape.

EDWARD STANLEY GRIFFITH. 

